WILDWOOD — If residents of this city don’t get enough excitement during the regularly scheduled commissioner’s meetings, perhaps they should hang around after adjournment.
On Oct. 10 William Gannon was reappointed to the Wildwood Housing Authority, a term that expires Dec. 31, 2009. Despite the votes of confidence from Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., and Commissioner Bill Davenport, Commissioner Gary DeMarzo objected to the appointment and called into question Gannon’s primary address.
“He uses the Premier Hotel as his primary address,” said DeMarzo citing Gannon’s place of business. “But I know he does enjoy a lovely home in the Crest.”
The city’s solicitor responded that prior to DeMarzo being sworn in as a commissioner, a judge had decided that Gannon’s primary residence is the one he uses in Wildwood.
But after the meeting was adjourned and most of the public and members of the press had left for the evening, things reportedly got interesting.
DeMarzo issued a media release alleging that a confrontation between himself and Gannon “culminated into a physical strike against more than a current commissioner.”
“His act of violence created a dangerous situation as well as potential for physical injury,” DeMarzo alleges in his statement to the media.
But according to Gannon, DeMarzo initiated the alleged fracas in the hallway of City Hall.
“I’m really shocked when a young police officer who was elected commissioner can assault a senior citizen in the hallway and then try to flip it around on me,” Gannon said.
Gannon, 70, said he has lived in Wildwood for over 50 years and hasn’t seen anything like this before.
“I just feel really bad for the city and I’m dismayed at his conduct,” he added.
When asked if he was going to sign a complaint, Gannon said he really didn’t know. He said that he’d follow the correct course of action, but said he was still shocked that it would come to this.
“The best suggestion I could offer, is that he [DeMarzo] could attend some anger management classes,” Gannon said.
DeMarzo told the Herald that the incident is under investigation by the Wildwood Police Department.
He had no further comment on the matter.
Captain Kevin McLaughlin said that an officer on the 3p.m. to 11p.m. shift filed an investigative report, but it was up to Gannon or DeMarzo to follow up if they wanted to pursue charges.
McLaughlin said that to his knowledge, no one had signed a complaint.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com
Lower Township – North Cape May on wanting to hear more from Trump. It’s ironic that had you done that for your candidate Kamala Harris at the beginning, you would have had time to ditch her and find somebody that…
